


Its hard to miss the way your eyes light up the room and still the air

by lilukehemm



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-14
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2018-01-12 07:39:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1183641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilukehemm/pseuds/lilukehemm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry likes to listen to Louis sing from next door.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Its hard to miss the way your eyes light up the room and still the air

**Author's Note:**

> dedicated to heather for being the best person ever (that rhymed)

"Mornin', Haz."

Harry looked up from playing a game on his phone to watch Niall slide into the seat adjacent to him, Zayn trailing behind to sit in the desk behind Niall. 

"Hey." He mumbled, pocketing his phone and shifting to use the desk as an uncomfortable pillow, head turned towards his friends.

"Rough night?" Zayn asked, mindlessly playing with a lighter and looking at Harry with those eyes that felt as if they were looking into his soul. He shifted again, pressing his nose into the cool desk and groaning.

"Didn't get any sleep. Stacey won't leave me alone, she doesn't get it apparently."

"What that you like dick?" Niall chirps, looking up from scrolling through his own phone.

"Well, yeah there's that, but I just can't stand the girl. It sounds rude, but. God, she's annoying." He groans, tipping his head back and running his hands down his face. 

His friends both laugh, turning to face the front listening absentmindedly as the teacher walked in and started class, leaving Harry to wallow in his own misery for the next forty mintues. 

"It can't be that bad, Harry." Niall laughs as they make their way out of the room after class, merging in with the students flowing through the halls. 

"It really can be, Niall." Harry muttered, and he feels his shoulder bump into something and he looks down to see Louis, looking up at him with his pretty blue eyes, wide like a deer caught in headlights. He opens his mouth to apologize and make sure Louis is okay, but Niall and Zayn are stopped up ahead waiting for him, and he's in such a shit mood that he just mutters "watch it, freshman" before continuing on the path to his locker, trying to ignore the guilt swirling in his stomach. 

He manages to make it through the day without screaming at anyone, only snapping once at Niall and feeling bad immediately after, apologizing repeatedly. When he gets home he goes to the kitchen and grabs a banana, kissing his mum who was doing bills at the table on the cheek before going to his room and eating the banana on the way up the stairs. He tosses the peel in the small bin perched on his desk and crashes onto his bed, falling asleep before he bothers to even take his shoes off.

 

A faint thudding wakes him up, and he can't stop the smile that spreads across his face despite the fact that he can feel that he still doesn't have enough sleep. He gets up and moves to his desk chair so that he can see into the window across the street and laughs when he sees Louis in sweatpants and a t-shirt, moving his body to the beat of the music and singing along as he moves about his room. 

He's listening to a song Harry's never heard before and he instantly opens his laptop, pulling up the internet and Googling the next line he hears, downloading the song and the rest of the bands music when he finds it. Listening to the music coming out of the speakers across the street, Louis' soft voice mixing in with the singers is Harry's favorite thing, although he'd never admit to it. 

He hooks his phone up to the computer, waiting for the music to transfer onto it as he digs his ear buds out from his coat pocket, plugging them into the phone but not putting them in just yet. He watched Louis a few more moments before going back to bed, putting the soft buds in his ears as he listened to the music playing softly with a smile on his face.  


The next morning is not so pleasant which, honestly, Harry should have expected. He wakes up to so many texts from Stacey that his phone shut off for a moment, he can feel his heartbeat in his head and he can hear his mum and sister arguing downstairs. 

He reluctantly slides out of bed, searching his room for his jersey. He finds it in the back of his closet, somewhere he definitely did not put it, along with a pair of jeans that may or may not be clean and he trudges to the bathroom, turning the shower on and letting the water stay just a bit cool to help him wake up.

He finishes his shower quickly and gets dressed, walking downstairs and into the kitchen right as his mom slams her hands down on the table and shouts "enough, Gemma".

Both women turn to look at him and he hovers in the doorway awkwardy. The three of them stand and stare at each other before Gemma finally rolls her eyes and shoulders past Harry going up to her room. His mother smiles tiredly at him, getting a mug from the cabinet and filling it with water from the kettle, dropping in a tea bag and handing it to Harry. 

"Get something substantial to eat, honey. You slept through dinner last night."

"Sure, Mum."

She goes back to her room and even with both girls gone the air is still tense, making Harry uncomfortable. He sips his tea and makes a breakfast wrap with ham leftover from the night before, decides to leave earlier than usual to get out of the house. He slips into his shoes and grabs his keys off the hook by the door, shouting a goodbye to his mum and sister, closing the door behind him and jogging to his car.

He turns the car on and is about to drive around until school starts, maybe pick up Zayn and annoy him until he gives him a fag, when he sees the neighboring door open and Louis walks out. Before he can even process what he's doing he opens the door and shouts Louis' name, getting his attention.

"Need a ride?" Harry breathes when the boy looks over at him with the same wide eyes from the day before. Louis hesitates, looking unsure and Harry decides for him. "C'mon, get in."

Slowly Louis walks over to the car, getting in after Harry and muttering a quiet "thank you". 

"No problem." Harry grins, reversing the car and driving towards the school. "Why are you leaving so early, then?"

"Didn't finish painting the set for the play at practice last night, needed to finish it before class today." Louis answered, keeping his eyes on his lap.

"Here, pick something to listen to." Harry said, handing Louis his phone and connecting it to the radio when they stopped at a stop sign.

"You have such good taste in music." Louis whispered, eyes scanning the phone.

"It's you that has good taste in music. I hear all of it from you." Harry smiled, glancing over at Louis.

His cheeks colored a pretty pink, taking the air from Harry's lungs because this boy was seriously beautiful.

"I didn't realize it was so loud." He said, keeping the same quiet tone. "I'm sorry."

"Oh no, it's not a problem at all. I actually quite enjoy hearing your music."

"Really?" Louis asks, looking over at Harry for the first time and Harry smiled, glad he was finally warming up to him.

"Yep." He nodded. "It's nice to listen to when I can't sleep."

"You have trouble sleeping?" Louis frowned a bit, like it troubled him that Harry didn't have a normal sleeping pattern. 

"Sort of. You know Stacey Newman?" Harry asks, waiting for Louis' answering nod. "She's usually the reason I can't sleep. Occasionally I do get a bit of insomnia, but usually if I'm not asleep it's because of her. She texts me all the time and won't leave me alone despite the fact that I straight up told her I didn't like girls."

"You're gay?" Louis asks, looking shocked and slightly delighted which made Harry's heart skip a beat.

"Pan, technically." Harry nodded. "But lately I've found myself preferring guys. I don't know. I don't think about it too much."

"Cheers to you then, I wish I could do that." Louis said, shooting a shy smile towards Harry. "Listen to this." _Girls_ by _The 1975_ began to play and Harry laughed, throwing his head back.

"This is one of my favorites, actually."

"Mine too." Louis smiled as Harry pulled into the parking lot, putting the car in park and beaming over at him.

"Have fun painting, Louis." 

"Have fun doing whatever it is that you do, Harry." 

Harry couldn't wipe the smile off his face, until lunch happened.

 

"She's so bloody annoying." Harry snapped, pushing through the doors and into the hall, still fuming from another encounter with Stacey. "Why can't she just leave me alone?"  
Niall and Zayn followed behind, keeping their distance and letting Harry blow off steam. Harry felt a body collide with his and he immediately turned onto the offender without bothering to even look who it was.

"Watch where you're going." He seethed, eyes widening when he realized it was Louis. But Harry was too worked up, and the damage was already done so he just spun on his heel and stalked off in the opposite direction.

 

The week carried on like that, the loss of the match and the constant irritation from Stacey weighing on Harry. He found himself snapping at everyone he came into contact with, which most often was Louis. Daily they would bump into each other, and each time Harry growled at Louis who never responded, only clenched his jaw and continued down the hall without a word. 

One day Harry realized he couldn't hear music, and he got up from his bed to peer out the window, heart sinking a bit when he realized the curtains were closed. He got back into bed, pulling the covers up to his chin and curling in on himself. 

The next morning the weather was in sync with his mood, dark and gloomy, rain pouring down steadily. He wanted to stay home, didn't want to deal with people today, but his mum wouldn't let him and he found himself driving to school early because he hadn't checked the time before he left, eyes squinting to see through the rain. He noticed a figure trudging down the side of the road and his heart began to race when he realized it was Louis. 

He slowed the car to a crawl next to him, rolling down the window.

"Lou!" 

The younger boy didn't respond, only hugged his jacket closer and picked up his pace.

"Louis!" Harry shouted again, eyes darting back to the road to make sure it was clear of cars. 

Louis still didn't respond and Harry sighed, pulling to the side of the road and putting the car in park. He got out and jogged to catch up with Louis, running in front of him to turn around and cut him off.

The small boy glared up at him with his beautiful blue eyes, and Harry's heart raced.

"Go away, Harry."

"Get in the car." He said, moving in front of Louis when he tried to step around him.

"No." He stuck his jaw out stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You'll get sick." Harry pleaded. "Please let me take you to school."

"I don't have time for this." Louis muttered, knocking his shoulder into Harry's. "I'm going to be late."

Harry sighed, and promptly bent down and hooked his arms around Louis' waist, lifting him in the air and carrying him back to the car. Unlike he expected, Louis put up little struggle, just letting himself hang from Harry's shoulder as he walked.

"Was that so hard?" Harry murmured, setting him gently on his feet next to the door and opening it for him before rounding the car to get in on his own side.

Harry maneuvered back onto the street once they were both buckled in, the silence the slightest bit uncomfortable. Wordlessly Harry handed Louis his phone which was plugged in to the radio, just like last time. 

"I'm still mad at you." Louis whispered, scrolling through the familiar songs.

"You have a right to be. I'm a knob, Lou. I'm so sorry." Harry said, tightening his hands on the wheel. 

"I get it, no one likes freshman. It's just.." Louis sighed, settling on a song and putting Harry's phone back in the holder. "I thought you were different from what everyone says about you. And you proved me wrong."

"No, no, no, Louis. I'm nothing like what they say. I've just been.." Harry paused and shook his head. "It's such a shitty excuse. Mum says I'm probably going through a growth spurt and its making my hormones all funny and then on top of that I've been so stressed and I took it out on you and I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Harry." Louis said quietly as they pulled into the parking space. 

"I hate that I'm the reason you stopped listening to music." 

Louis didn't say anything, just stared up at Harry with his pretty, pretty eyes. 

"If you want a ride home from school, I'll be here." 

"I have drama after school today, you don't need to do that."

"I know." Harry blushed. "I have footie anyways. They end at the same time." 

"We'll see Harry." Louis said, getting out of the car and walking to class without looking back at Harry who was sitting in his car with a stupidly wide smile on his face. He made it his top priority that day to go out of his way to be nice to Louis, walking him to all the classes he could, checking in with the freshman footie players to make sure he was okay. 

After school Harry brought his car around to sit directly outside the auditorium doors, making sure he was the first thing Louis would see when he left practice. Louis walked through the doors at half four, face breaking into a wide smile similar to the one that had been on Harry's face earlier that morning. 

Harry pushed himself off the side of the car as Louis approached, reaching out to loop his arms around his waist once he was in touching distance.

"You've turned into a stalker." Louis murmured with a small smile, looking up at Harry.

"Is it working?"

"No." Harry smirked, pulling Louis in tighter.

"That's a shame." He whispered before dropping his mouth onto Louis'.

 

Turns out Louis actually had gotten sick from being in the rain, and in turn had gotten Harry sick but neither of them cared, the slight cold giving them an excuse to spend the weekend holed up in Harrys room, hiding away from the rest of the world, doing nothing but kissing and cuddling.

Harry had fallen asleep a few minutes ago and Louis watched him with groggy eyes, taking in his unruly curls, the way his fingers flexed slightly every time he let out a breath from his parted lips. Louis thinks he couldn't be happier.

**Author's Note:**

> im sorry its so short im working really hard on upping my word count ok


End file.
